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Answered in 8 episodes

How do I make tracking macros less overwhelming?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and her guests · Updated

The short answer

Make the job smaller at first. The women on the show who stuck with it started small: tracking only protein, planning one day and repeating it, or picking a few meals from a sample plan. Nikkiey says week one might take half an hour a day, but by week three or four it takes five to ten minutes.

Hear it from the show

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  1. Nikkiey on planning one full day and copying it for a week to start

    Plays from 13:59 · Ep. 144: Is Tracking Macros Worth It When It Feels Too Hard?

  2. Jenna's coach had her track only protein and prep just one day ahead

    Plays from 21:25 · Ep. 173: Emotional Eating After Gastric Sleeve Surgery: What Helped

  3. Karen on cutting her meal plan down to four meals and building from there

    Plays from 9:34 · Ep. 276: How to Get Toned in Your 40s by Eating More Food

  4. Lisa on using a two-week sample meal plan as training wheels

    Plays from 32:21 · Ep. 374: Can You Eat More and Still Lose Weight After 40?

  5. Linda plans her day at breakfast, and Nikkiey on how fast tracking gets

    Plays from 40:09 · Ep. 242: Lost 18 Pounds at 63 by Tracking Macros, Not Calories

The full answer

Nikkiey is honest about this on Ep. 351: macro tracking has a steep learning curve up front, because you're juggling three numbers instead of one. Feeling overwhelmed doesn't mean you're bad at it. It usually means you're trying to balance everything at once. Karen describes it on Ep. 276 as juggling about 40 tiny blocks. If even that feels like too much, Nikkiey says starting with calories to build the tracking habit is a valid first step.

Ways the show's guests made it smaller:

  • Track one number. On Ep. 173, Jenna's coach told her to track only protein and to prep food just for the next day. She had the hang of it within a week.
  • Plan one day, then repeat it. On Ep. 144, Nikkiey says her first nights took an hour to an hour and a half. So she planned a full day that fit her numbers, copied it for at least seven days, then brought in new foods once she felt more confident.
  • Use a sample plan as training wheels. On Ep. 374, Lisa asked her coach for a two-week, whole-food plan with very little cooking and cycled through it until macros made sense.
  • Build go-to meals. Karen picked about four meals from her suggested plan, and over time they became prebuilt blocks she could plug in.

Planning ahead also beats logging as you go. Nikkiey remembers tracking meal by meal and reaching the end of the day with a pile of carbs and protein left over. On Ep. 242, Linda plans her day the night before or over breakfast, copies repeat meals like her lunch salad in MyFitnessPal, and switched to a food scale for better accuracy after her coach recommended it.

This is a skill you build, not a test you pass. Most women tell Nikkiey it becomes second nature within a couple of months. Linda says it took her a couple of weeks. Nikkiey now logs her day in about a minute.

From The WarriorBabe Show with Nikkiey Stott. For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

Women also ask

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  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    Is tracking macros better than counting calories?

    For most women over 40 who want to change how their body looks, yes. Nikkiey explains that macro tracking isn't an alternative to counting calories; it's the more complete version. Calories alone can get the scale moving, but you'll lose muscle with the fat. Tracking protein, carbs and fat lets you lose fat while keeping muscle.

    Read the answer →

  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    Can I still eat treats while tracking macros?

    Yes. Across The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey's position is that treats work when they fit your numbers and stay the minority of what you eat, roughly 80% quality food and 20% fun food. She has two to four pieces of dark chocolate most nights, and members fit in cookies, pizza and ice cream swaps while losing fat.

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  • Macros & Macro Tracking

    How long does it take to get good at tracking macros?

    Expect a learning curve of about three to four months, with tracking feeling noticeably easier somewhere between six months and a year. Nikkiey's first planning sessions took up to an hour and a half; years later she logs a full day in about two minutes. Some women, like guest Valerie, hit their numbers within two weeks.

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